


those manchester days

by deary_you



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Nostalgia, just happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 18:05:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5753101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deary_you/pseuds/deary_you
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil remembers feeling 23 and elated: this is the boy I want to be with forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	those manchester days

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of fiction. I do not own Dan and Phil (sadly).

Phil takes in a deep breath. He sips his hazelnut milk tea and chews absent-mindedly on the boba pearls. He doesn't really know what they're doing right now. _People watching?_ he thinks. They had decided to buy Shakeway milkshakes only to find out that they've been closed down for ages. (Phil had to be pulled away; he stood staring at the spot where it used to be.) They had to settle for regular bubble tea and then wandered aimlessly, the back of their hands brushing against each other occasionally. They ended up walking to where Manchester Wheel used to be and settled upon a bench nearby.

  
Phil wishes for the hundredth time that it wasn't taken down. _It'd be perfect if it's still up. I could bring him up again and I'll be the one who will kiss him first, this time._ He thinks about the London Eye back home but it's not the same. Sighing, he leans into the warmth beside him. Dan is also staring straight ahead, casually sipping his bubble tea. Phil nudges him with his knee. Dan gives him a small smile and Phil feels like he's 22 again. Maybe it's the lights nearby; illuminating his cupid’s bow, the slant of his nose, his deep chocolate eyes and those cheekbones. Maybe it's the atmosphere. There are not many people milling around, unusual for a Saturday night. _Maybe the gods above are giving them a chance, a day off,_ he thinks. _Maybe they're being kind and letting us enjoy Manchester without being caught._ Emboldened by these thoughts, he reaches for Dan's free hand and interlocks their fingers.

  
He doesn't know when they've managed to do this but they can have conversations with just looks and gestures. (Friends often had to pair them up with another person; they'd won too many games of charades and Taboo together.) Dan's smile gets wider and he tugs Phil up to his feet. He knows where they're going; they've had the same idea for a while now. They pass by the white man and for once, Phil grins at him and takes a lollipop.

  
*

  
It gets chilly and Phil tucks both of their hands into the front pocket of his hoodie. They walk past the fountain. The wind still sprays water all over them. The lamp post in that corner is still not fixed. There's still that unleveled patch of tiles where Phil always tripped over. Nothing much has changed.

  
They sit on a ledge near the apartment block, swinging their dangling feet slightly. Phil places his empty cup beside him. He releases his clutch on Dan's hand and wraps his arm around Dan's waist.

  
"Sometimes, I have dreams about this apartment. I miss this place," Dan murmurs. "Don't you remember all those years ago; we were so eager to live with each other. I can't believe it's going to be six years soon."

  
Phil nods and hides his face into the crook of Dan's neck. "Of course I do. I was excited about us. I still am, you get what I mean,” he huffs when Dan pokes him. “You were so tiny back then.” He reaches up and strokes Dan’s face. “Glabella,” he simply says.

  
Dan swipes at his finger. “Phil, that wasn’t even in this apartment. Stop stroking my glabella, oh my god.”

  
“You love me.”

  
“No I don’t.”

  
Phil sighs and buries his face further into Dan’s neck. They fall silent. Phil thinks about the last 6 years of his life. He’s had some awful haircuts (he’ll very much stick to this one now thank you), bad opinions about things and those ridiculous videos he has privated (he hates Dan for going into his account and plays them on their TV. Dan argues that he misses Phil’s old videos but he thinks that Dan just want to torments him.)

  
He feels like it’s them who has changed a lot: their hair, their height, their preferences. Even their love has changed. They’ve learnt to compromise over the years. He remembers that petty fight where one of them forgot to order groceries and neither of them refused to give in. At the end of the day, Phil placed a chocolate bar outside Dan’s door as a peace offering. Love is just not about showing affection but also knowing when to say “sorry.” They still have small fights but they’ve learnt. He thinks about their book; the years of compromising really paid off. A rush of happiness overwhelms him for a moment; he is so glad to be doing it with his best friend and partner.

  
Given how scrutinised their friendship (relationship) is, they’ve learnt to be more affectionate behind closed doors. He thinks about how exciting their relationship was in the beginning. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other; they were constantly texting, skyping, calling each other. Now, that they live with each other, it’s been replaced by kisses to the forehead; waiting for the other to wake up to have their daily breakfast and anime binge; massages; buying each other small gifts. He smiles slightly at the memory of Dan buying him a blender. Dan’s excuse was that he wants Phil to be healthier and make “green” smoothies. They both know that the blender’s purpose was to make regular smoothies.

  
Contradictory to what many of their fans assumed, 2012 was not a bad year. 2013 was definitely tense but it wasn’t bad. (Although, sometimes Phil wishes he could take back all of the words he said.) He remembers a particular day when he was editing a video in his room. Dan brought him a mug of coffee and and a few gummy worms. He thanked Dan with a nod of the head and took a sip of the coffee. He remembers feeling choked up suddenly at the familiar taste: he couldn’t recall the last time Dan made coffee for him. Dan always makes the best coffee for him. He remembers rushing to where Dan was and just stood there staring at him. Dan was confused and repeatedly asked him what’s wrong. He remembers himself tearing up and saying “I miss you.”

  
Maybe the thing that stayed the same is the promises they’ve held on for 6 years and counting. Phil recalls that night in 2010 when they stayed up and talked via Skype for ages. He remembers Dan’s pixelated face on the screen and the yearning he felt to be close to him. He remembers the disappointment he felt when Dan told him that he won’t be in the country for Valentine’s Day. He remembers Dan’s worried face and how he had to reassure him, _there’s always next year._ At that very moment, he desperately wanted to travel to Reading and kiss that look of adoration and wonderment off Dan’s pretty face. They ended up talking about the future and made a mental list together: be there for each other; be my support; be the person I sleep next to at the end of the day; grow old with me. He remembers falling asleep to Dan’s snuffles in his sleep. He remembers touching the screen, wishing he was much closer to Dan.

  
Phil remembers feeling 23 and elated: this is the boy I want to be with forever. Phil remembers feeling 26 and exasperated: this is the person I love; I shouldn’t push him away. Phil feels 28 and contented: this is the man I want to go through life together.

  
The house and dogs (and children) will come later but what matters now, is they're sitting next to each other and _nothing_ really has changed, despite everything.

  
*

  
“You’re thinking a lot tonight, Philly,” Dan says softly. He rubs Phil’s tummy through the fabric of the hoodie. Phil had forgotten about Dan’s hand still tucked in the hoodie pocket.

  
“There’s something about the air tonight. I’m feeling so nostalgic. Thinking about us.”

  
“I know what you mean. I was thinking we’ve changed but in some ways, we haven’t? Like most of the time, I look at us and yeah we’re 24 and 28 but sometimes I look at you and I feel 18 again. I-”

  
Dan’s words gets cut off by the press of Phil’s lips against his.

  
“Do you know you’re perfect?”

  
“Well I try to be,” Dan sighs, after a few heated minutes.

  
“You’re real.”

  
“I said that, not you.”

  
“I’m saying it back to you because I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you.”

  
“Now you’re just being cheesy.”

  
“It’s supposed to be cheesy.”

  
“Phil.”

  
“Yes, Dan?”

  
“I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I thank H for beta-ing this. you are my bae. this fic was inspired from a series of tweets I tweeted back in October 2015. I imagine this was what went on when they were at Manchester for a few days in October.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this and I would greatly appreciate feedback! ^^


End file.
